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Dalit

a man sleeping on the ground outside of a temple

Housing segregation in India has affected millions of people for several generations

Sacred Nation

For generations, people have moved from rural areas to cities to find opportunities. But new research shows neighborhoods in Indian cities are segregated according to caste and religion, and that impacts upward mobility for residents.

rapper

Hip-hop artists in India call out caste discrimination 

Planet Hip Hop
A woman surrounded by other people writes on a white placard

Protesters in India call for justice for Dalit women who are victims of sexual violence

Sexual violence
Aerial view of a Hindu temple next to a parking lot and greenery.

Lawsuits bring attention to caste discrimination in the US

Caste in America
A woman looks to the side.

Caste discrimination exists on college campuses. Some schools are trying to change that.

Caste in America
An man sits at a desk with a book and looks at the camera

The US isn’t safe from the trauma of caste bias

Caste in America

Many Dalits say the kind of caste-based discrimination and violence that erupts in India also exist in the US.

An Indian woman in a sari and glasses and an Indian man in a suit and glasses sit for a portrait.

Love conquers caste for this couple, but Indian marriage traditions continue in US

Caste in America

The writer’s parents defied Hindu conventions by marrying in India outside their caste, but decades later, members of her father’s upper caste promote sticking with tradition in America.

A man in business attire holding a briefcase walks past a shirtless man stooping over plastic bags

Does America have a caste system?

Caste in America

Many Americans would be appalled to think that anything like caste could exist in a country allegedly founded on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But can looking at the US through the lens of caste tell us more about inequality in America?

Several women in saris and a man laugh

Even with a Harvard pedigree, caste follows ‘like a shadow’

Caste in America

Suraj Yengde, part of the Dalit or “Untouchable” caste in Hinduism, rose from a segregated slum in India to a fellowship at Harvard, collecting advanced degrees along the way.

Sujatha Gidla, author of 'Ants Among Elephants. An Untouchable Family And The Making Of Modern India.'

In India, she was ‘untouchable.’ In New York City, she became an author.

Culture

Sujatha Gidla was born ‘untouchable,’ one of India’s lowest castes. She was bullied at school and constantly made to feel ashamed of who she was. Then she moved to New York City and became a subway conductor. Her latest achievement? A memoir about her life in India.